Upwardly acting door and seal means therefor



Aug. 3, 1965 F. D. CROSSWELL UPWARDLY ACTING noon AND SEAL MEANSTHEREFOR Filed Sept. 5, 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 3, 1965 F. D.CROSSWELL UPWARDLY ACTING DOOR AND SEAL MEANS THEREFOR Filed Sept. 5,1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 2523 z/z/J ATTORNEK Aug. 3, 1965 F. D. CROSSWELLUPWARDLY ACTING DOOR AND SEAL MEANS THEREFOR Filed Sept. 5, 1961 IN VENTOR.

3 Sheets-Sheet 3 70% J. C/ojjwefl BY A T TO K N 5?.

United States Patent 3,19$,242 UPWARDLY ACTING DGIIIR AND MEAiJtlTIIEREFGR Flay Downs Crossweil, Hartford Qity, In., assigner to OverheadDoor Corporation, Hartford City, Ind, a

corporation of Indiana Filed Sept. 5, I961, Ser. No. 35,933 2 Ciairns.CI. 160-490) This invention relates to upwardly acting doors. The

.main objects of this invention are:

Third, to provide jamb seal means which while highly effective from thesealing standpoint do not materially add to the force necessary to closeand open the closure.

Fourth, to provide sealing units which may be readily attached at unitsto closure jambs or frames or to the closure in operative relation tojambs or sills.

Fifth, to provide a door assembly in which the track engaging rollersare mounted at the ends of the sections and closely adjacent to thehinge connections therefor.

Sixth, to provide means for connecting a counterbalancing cable to thedoor without removing the door from its supporting and guiding tracks.

Seventh, to provide a coupling connection for a counterbalancing cableto an upwardly acting door which minimixes the stress on the cable atthe point of its connection to the door.

Objects relating to details and economies of the invention will appearfrom the description to follow. The invention is defined and pointed outin the claims.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in theaccompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary inside elevational view of an upwardly actingdoor comprising a plurality of sections embodying my invention, afragment of the track at one end of the closure being conventionallyshown.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary vertical section showing the relationship of thesections to a track, a portion only of the jamb being shown.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view partially in section on .a line3-3 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical view partially in section ona line corresponding to line 4-4 of FIG. 7.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view in vertical section on a line correspondingto line 5--5 of FIG. 6.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating the relationshipof adjacent sections and the hinge con nections therefor and the supportfor the track engaging rollers.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary view in section on a line corresponding to line7--7 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary end elevational View illustrating the bottomportion of the door in closed position relative to the sill, which isconventionally shown, and illustrating the connections for onecounterbalancing cable to the door, the adjustment of the connectingmeans being indicated by dotted lines, certain portions being brokenaway to show structural details.

, FIG. 9 is a fragmentary perspective view with the bottom rollersupporting and cable anchoring bracket removed. I

FIG. 9A is a fragmentary view partially in section, further illustratingstructural features of the cable connecting bracket.

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary perspective view of a jamb seal unit embodyingmy invention.

FIG. 11 is an enlarged fragmentary view corresponding to that of FIG. 4,illustrating structural details of the jamb seal unit.

FIG. 12 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section corresponding toFIG. 5, with one of the sections of the pair in tilted relation to theother, and illustrating structural details of the adjacent edges of thesections and the seal therefor.

FIG.13 is a fragmentary perspective view of the seal member illustratedin FIG. 12.

FIG. 14 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of a moditied form orembodiment of the jamb seal unit.

I have illustrated a commercial embodiment of my invention in anupwardly acting door comprising a. plurality of sections. Structuresembodying my invention are particularly desirable where it is importantthat there should be no parts projecting inwardly to any substantialextent from the inner side of the closure for use, for example, inenclosed trucks, trailers, railway cars and the like where contents arelikely to shift into engagement with the closure, and further whereeffective sealing of the sections in reiation to each other and to thejamb or frame is an important factor, and in that connection a doorwhich requires little effort in opening and closing.

The embodiment of my invention illustrated comprises a plurality ofsections including top section 1, bottom section 2, and intermediatesections 3. These are substantial duplicates so far as their meetingedges are concerned and therefore I have only illustrated in detail therelationship of a pair of the sections. The closure is slidably mountedon rails designated generally by the numeral 4 with which the rollers 5coact.

A door jamb 6 is conventionally illustrated in FIG. 2, but a crosssection thereof is illustrated in FIG. 4 with the track 4 mountedthereon and with which the rollers 5 coact. A sill is conventionallyillustrated at 7, see FIGS. 1 and 8. A portion of a wall is illustratedat 8 in FIG. 4. In the embodiment of my invention illustrated in FIGS.3, 4, 5 and 6, the door sections comprise body members 9, inner sheetmetal facing panels 10, and outer panels 11. The body members 9 are inpractice formed of different stock or materials, multiply stock orinsulating materials, but is only conventionally illustrated. Thesepanels have upwardly projecting longitudinally extended tapered riblikeportions 12 on their upper edges and cooperating downwardly facinglongitudinal grooves 13 on their lowor edges, these parts being designedso that they nest .when the sections are in closed position, as isillustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6. It will be noted that there areshoulderlike portions 14 and 15 on the inner sides of the rib andgroove. Resilient seal members 16 are mounted on the shoulders 15, thesebeing provided with upwardly projecting longitudinally extending lips orflanges 17, see FIG. 12. These lips or flanges are such that they arereadily collapsed when the sections are in alignment as in closedposition, see FIG. 5.

The connecting hinges for the closure sections are of the leaf typecomprising leaves 18, coacting knuckles 19, and pivots 20. The innerpanels 1%) have recesses 21 therein adapted to desirably fittinglyreceive the hinge leaves, as is illustrated in FIGS .5 .and 6. It willbe understood that where closures are of a substantial width it isdesirable to provide intermediate hinges as well as hinges adjacent theedges of the door, as is illustrated in FIG. 1. These hinge leaves arefixedly secured to the closure sections as by means of the screws 22.

In the embodiment illustrated, the spindles 23 of the rollers 5 aresupportedly engaged with and carried by the spindle support members 24disposed in recesses 25 which open at the ends of the sections anddesirably also at the inner edges thereof for convenience inmanufacturing and assembling. These recesses 25 are overlapped andclosed by one of the hinge leaves. The recesses are of noncircular crosssection and the members 24 have parallel top and bottom sides and arefittingly engaged in the recesses, as is clearly illustrated in FIGS. 5and 7. These spindle support members have attaching flanges 26 which aredisposed in lapping relation to the ends of the sections and securedthereto as by means of the screws 27.

The spindles 23 are provided with shoulders 28 which abut or are inthrust engagement with the ends of the bearings. The roller 6 being inengagement with the track as illustrated in FIG. 4 effectively preventsthe lateral shifting or edgewise shifting of the door as its opened orclosed, or subjected to racking stresses in use in a motor vehicle, forexample.

The jamb seals, designated generally by the numeral 29, include supportmembers 30 having laterally projecting springably resilient flanges 31,desirably of angular cross section as illsutrated in FIGS. 10 and 11.These support members have laterally disposed slots 32 therein receivingthe attaching screws 33. The flanges 31 are desirably spaced from thejamb to permit adjustment thereof relative to the closure. The sealunits comprise the elongated laterally spaced springably resilientflexible seal members 34, desirably of rubber or rubber-like syntheticmaterial and of cylindrical section, as is conventionally illustrated inthe drawings, and the supporting strip 35 of flexible sheet materialwhich is wrapped around the seal members 34 and secured at 36 on theinner sides thereof to support the seal members 34 in laterally spacedrelation and provide an attaching web 37.

When use for jamb seals, an intermediate seal member is desirablyprovided, this comprising a base strip designated by the numeral 38 andfibers or filaments 39 projecting therefrom and of such length theyengage the jamb when the members 34 are in engagement therewith. Thisseal unit is secured to the support as by means of screws 40 spacedlongitudinally thereof.

When the seal unit is mounted on the bottom of a door section to coactwith the sill as is illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9, the intermediate sealmember is desirably omitted for the reason that if the fibers orfilaments of the intermediate seal member became frozen to the sill theywould be likely to be pulled out on the opening of the closure.

The guard member 49 is a strip of flexibly resilient material andextends from edge to edge of the bottom section of the door in dependingrelation thereto and at the outer side of the sill engaging members 34.Its lower edge is in engagement with the sill when the door is in closedposition as shown in FIG. 8, in which position it serves as a guard forthe seal members 34. This pre vents the entrance of water or the formingof ice which might adhere the seal members to the sill, resulting intheir being fractured with the opening of the door. The guard member ismade of flexibly resilient material so that it maintains its place, butyields in the event of an operator inserting some type of tool or pry toopen the door, and it does add to the sill seal, although the primarypurpose is as stated.

It should be understood that under certain conditions the seal unit ismounted directly on the jamb rather than on the support member 30. Thesupport member is desirable as it provides means for adjusting the sealrelative to the closure, and in practice there is likely to besubstantial structural variation even in the matter of specifiedtolerances. With the seal mounted on the support member 30, adjustmentcan be made not only on the initial installation but to compensate forWear, warping, and to vary the amount of sealing thrust.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 14, the seal unit is mounted on asupporting strip 41 having inturned flanges 42 on its edges which areclampingly engaged with edge portions 43 of the flexible supportingstrip. This figure also conventionally illustrates the resilient sealmembers 44 as being of cellulose or spongy material.

It is desired to point out that the spindles for the rollers may benonrotatably engaged in the spindle supports 24 and the rollersrotatably engaged in the spindles. However, both forms of track engagingrollers are old in the art, but the shoulders on the outer ends of thespindles disposed in thrust bearing engagement with the outer end of thespindle bearing member is an important and novel feature of theapplicants invention. 7

In the accompanying drawing the spring actuated counterbalance means isdesignated generally by the numeral 45. The cable 49, commonly oftwisted wire, is wound upon the drum 47 and is connected to the bottomdoor section 2 by anchoring means illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9A, thisparticular cable anchoring means having the advantages of minimizing thestress upon the cable and also to facilitate the connection for thecable to the door in installing and in the event that a cable should bebroken.

In the embodiment illustrated, this anchoring means comprises orincludes a combined spindle supporting bracket and cable anchoringmember designated generally by the numeral 50 and including an anchoringplate 51 provided with holes to receive the screws 52, the member 50having an inwardly projecting bearing 53 disposed in the bore 54provided therefor. There is also a bore 55 which is adapted to receivethe coupling socket 56 for the coupling pin 57 of the cable anchoringmember 58, so that this member is swingable transversely of the doorsection, as is indicated in FIG. 8, thereby permitting engagement of thecable with it and also relieving the cable of any twisting stress as thedoor is opened and closed. The member 58 is provided with an inwardlyprojecting lug 59 and has a keyhole slot 60 therein through which thecable may be inserted or removed, the cable being provided with ananchoring collar 61 on its lower end.

The lower door section is provided with bores 54 and 55, as stated,positioned to receive the spindle member 53 and the bore 56 for thecoupling spindle 57. The lower roller 5 is the same as the other rollersWhich have been described. With the door positioned between the tracksthe cable may be attached without removing the door from the tracks,which is an advantage both in the original installations and in theevent that a cable should be broken or become defective.

I have illustrated and described by invention in a highly desirableembodiment thereof. I have not attempted to illustrate variousmodifications and adaptations as it is believed that this disclosurewill enable those skilled in the art to embody and adapt my invention asmay be desired.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desiredto secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An upwardly acting door assembly comprising side frame members,tracks including upright portions of facing channel cross sectiondisposed at the inner sides of the door frame side members in facingrelation to each other, a door comprising a plurality of pivotallyconnected sections, track engaging rollers disposed at the ends of saidsections, counterbalance means including a cable, a combined spindlesupporting bracket and cable anchoring member disposed on the end of thelower door section and comprising a plate-like body portion having aninwardly projecting roller spindle bearing and an inwardly projectingcable coupling socket disposed above said spindle bearing, a trackengaging roller having a spindle disposed in said spindle bearing, and acable coupling member provided with a spindle engaged in said cablecoupling socket and terminatnig at its outer end in a laterallyprojecting lug and having a keyhole slot therein extending into saidlug, said cable having a terminal portion detachably engaged with saidkeyhole slot, said cable coupling member being swingable laterallyrelative to said lower door section and to said track.

2. An upwardly acting door assembly comprising side frame members,tracks including upright portions of facing channel cross sectiondisposed at the inner sides of the door frame side members in facingrelation to each other, a door comprising a plurality of pivotallyconnected sections, track engaging rollers disposed to project at theends of said sections, counterbalance means including a cable, acombined spindle supporting bracket and cable anchoring member mountedon the end of one door section and having an inwardly projecting rollerspindle bearing and an inwardly projecting cable coupling socketdisposed above said spindle bearing, a track engaging roller having aspindle disposed in said spindle bearing, said spindle having a shoulderthereon supporting said track engaging roller in outwardly spacedrelation to the bracket, and a cable coupling member provided with aspindle engaged in said cable coupling member socket and having a cablereceiving opening at its outer end with which said cable is detachablyengageable, said cable coupling member being swing'able laterallyrelative to said door section to which it is attached and to said track.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 788,761 5/05Erwood 160-190 X 1,925,574 9/33 Scott 160l91 2,045,060 6/36 Wheatley160209 2,227,571 1/41 Clark 160209 2,274,216 2/42 Sanders 160-1902,495,672 1/50 Dautrick 160-191 2,523,929 9/50 Taylor 160-190 2,793,6905/57 Stroup 160--201 2,831,537 4/58 Ritter 160201 2,871,932 2/59 Stroup160-209 X HARRISON R. MOSELEY, Primary Examiner.

LAWRENCE CHARLES, BENJAMIN BENDETT,

CHARLES E. OCONNELL, Examiners.

1. AN UPWARDLY ACTING DOOR ASSEMBLY COMMPRISING SIDE FRAME MEMBERS,TRACKS INCLUDING UPRIGHT PORTIONS OF FACING CHANNEL CROSS SECTIONDISPOSED AT THE INNER SIDES OF THE DOOR FRAME SIDE MEMBERS IN FACINGRELATION TO EACH OTHER, A DOOR COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF PIVOTALLYCONNECTED SECTIONS, TRACK ENGAGING ROLLERS DISPOSED AT THE ENDS OF SAIDSECTIONS, COUNTERBALANCE MEANS INCLUDING A CABLE, A COMBINED SPINDLESUPPORTING BRACKET AND CABLE ANCHORING MEMBER DISPOSED ON THE END OF THELOWER DOOR SECTION AND COMPRISING A PLATE-LIKE BODY PORTION HAVING ANINWARDLY PROJECTING ROLLER SPINDLE BEARING AND AN INWARDLY PROJECTINGCABLE COUPLING SOCKET DISPOSED ABOVE SAID SPINDLE BEARING, A TRACKENGAGING ROLLER HAVING A SPINDLE DISPOSED IN SAID SPINDLE BEARING, AND ACABLE COUPLING MEMBER PROVIDED WITH A SPINDLE ENGAGING IN SAID CABLECOUPLING SOCKET AND TERMINATING AT ITS OUTER END IN A LATERALLYPROJECTING LUG AND HAVING A KEYHOLE SLOT THEREIN EXTENDING INTO SAIDLUG, SAID CABLE HAVING A TERMINAL PORTION DETACHABLY ENGAGED WITH SAIDKEYHOLE SLOT, SAID CABLE COUPLING MEMBER BEING SWINGABLE LATERALLYRELATIVE TO SAID LOWER DOOR SECTION AND TO SAID TRACK.